1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool particularly adapted for removing the legs and bottom or belly part of a shell of a shrimp and for cutting the meat of the partially deshelled shrimp before placing stuffing into the shrimp.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Stuffed shrimp is a foodstuff served today in many restaurants. The term "stuffed shrimp" as used herein includes any cooked shrimp or prawn with some sort of stuffing added. In typical practice, each stuffed shrimp is made up of a partly deshelled or totally deshelled shrimp or prawn which has either crabmeat, breadcrumbs or other conventional stuffing material placed inside a cut along the bottom of the shrimp. After the shrimp has been stuffed, it is baked in an oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or deep fried until cooked.
The shrimp are commonly prepared for stuffing today by manually removing the legs and bottom or belly part of the shrimp's shell. Specifically, this may be done by holding the shrimp upside down in one hand and drawing a finger of the other hand towards the preparer underneath the bottom portion of the shell, thereby ripping out the legs and bottom part of the shrimp's shell. After that step and while the shrimp is still held upside down in the one hand, a cut is made with a knife along most of the length of the shrimp's bottom. This cut is then filled with stuffing.
However, there are several problems associated with this ripping of the legs and bottom portion of the shrimp's shell by hand. First, the fingers may be cut on the hard shell of the shrimp while peeling the belly. Second, this method is relatively slow. Only one or two shrimp may be normally processed per minute because the knife has to be picked up after the ripping step and before the cutting step. Third, the preparer has to touch the meat of the shrimp extensively by this method. And, if the preparer's fingers are cut by the shell of the shrimp, this method may be unsanitary. Fourth, the preparer must handle a knife with a hand and fingers which may become slippery by touching the shell of the shrimp. This may lead to unsafe use of the knife during the cutting step.
The present invention offers a tool which allows the preparation of stuffed shrimp without these problems. Specifically, this tool replaces the use of fingers to rip out the legs and bottom portion. Further, there is a significant reduction in processing time by use of this tool. Thus, making it more economical for a restaurant to make and serve stuffed shrimp. Still, the processing is made more sanitary and safer by use of this tool.